Manufacture of water-gas



4 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1..

J M. ROSE.

MANUFACTURE OF WATER GAS.-

No. 370,971 Patented Oct. 4, 1887.

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2 Sheets-Sheet; 2..

(No Model.)

J. M. ROSE.

MANUFACTURE OF WATER GAS No. 370,971. Patented 0011.4, 1887.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES M. ROSE, OF ALLEGHENY CITY, PENNSYLVANIA.

MANUFACTURE OF WATER-GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 370,971, dated October 4-, 1887.

Application filed December 2'7, 1886. Serial No. 222.566. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern: I

Be it known that I, JAMES M. RosE, of Allegheny City, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Manufacture of Water-Gas; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to the manufacture of what is known as water-gas, its object being to provide apparatus for the manufacture of this gas especially for fuel and heating purposes, though it is also applicable to the manufacture of illuminatinggas, having for a base the water-gas generated in the apparatus.

To this end my invention consists in arranging around a central steam-boiler a series of gas-generator chambers and lime-chambers, and suitable flues for connecting these chambers and the boiler,so that the waste products of combustion from said generators may pass into the boiler and generate steam therein,and, as some one or more of the series will always be discharging their products into the boiler, a constant pressure of steam is maintained therein, and,as the others of the series are discharging gas through thelime-chambers,a constant supply of gas is obtained from the apparatus.

The invention also consists in arranging lime-chambers around the boiler between said generator-chambers and the boiler and communicating with the generator-chambers; and the invention also consists in having a combustion chamber over the lime-chamber, and communicating at one end with the boilerandat the other end with the generator; and the invention further consists in combining with the generator-chamber a boiler which has outer downtake-flues, a chamber at the bottom, and central uptake-fines, through which the products of combustion pass to generate steam therein, and thence from the uptake-fiues to the chimney; and the invention further consists in certain other improvements, all of which will be more fully hereinafter set forth.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention,I will describe the same more fully, referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of my improved apparatus. Fig. 2 is a cross-section on the line a: m, Fig. 1.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts in each.

In the construction of my improved gasgeneratiug apparatus I prefer to employ large generating apparatus, such as shown in the drawings, formed of a series of different gas generating and purifying chambers arranged around a central boiler steam-generator, as by the employment of this form of apparatus I am enabled to operate the method continuously, and I obtain sufficient heat from the waste products of combustion to maintain a sufficient pressure of steam, one or the other gasgenerators being always discharging its heated products into and through the steam generator or boiler.

The steam boiler or generator A is placed in the center or centrally of my improved gasgenerating apparatus, and arranged either on each side or around the sameare the limechambers B, while beyond the lime-chambers are the gasgenerating or fuel chambers G. The gas-generating chambers are provided with grate-bars c, the ash-pits 0 having suitable doors, c so that the ash-pit can be closed to prevent the entrance of air from the outside of the apparatus, and extending from the upper end of or above the gas-generator and above the limechamber is the combustion chamber or flue d, the products of combustion communicating with the outer flues, a, of the steamgenerator A, and passing downwardly through the same into the chamber a, whence they rise through the central series of heating tubes or flues, a, to the chimney D. The gasgenerator ()is also provided with the stokinghole 0 and charging-holes c in the top wall and c in the base of the flue d, which can be closed by any suitable blocks or covers, d a The sliding stop-valve d is placed at the end of the flue at, so as to close communication between the combustion-flue and steam-boiler during the time the gas is being generated from the incandescent coal.

Communicating with the gasgenerator O is the blast pipe 6, said pipe extending upwardly through the outer walls of the apparatus, and having two or more blast-entrances, e, whereby the blast is distributed through the mass of fuel resting on the grate-bars, and the same is brought to an incandescent state more rapidly and the smoke and other gases more easily driven off therefrom.

Leading from the steam-space A of the steamgenerator A are the steam-pipesf, which extend down within the walls of the apparatus and communicate with the different chambers thereof, communicating with the gas-generators near the upper part of the same, as at f, so that the steam can pass through the entire mass of incandescent fuel therein.

The lime-chambers B are separated from the gas-generators G by comparatively thin walls, so that the heat of the combustion of the fuel therein will heat the lime within the chambers B, the lime being further heated by the waste products passing through the fiues (2 over the top of the chambers and by the heat from the boiler, which is separated from the limechamber by the thin walls, as at b, the lime within the chambers B being thus kept in a heated or caustic state, so as to act quickly upon any gases passing through the same. The chambers B have the grate-bars b at the base thereof and the ash-pit b below the grate-bars, the ash-pit I) being, if desired, separated from the ash-pit 0 by the removable door or block b; and in order to fill said chamber it is provided with the filling-holes g g at the base of the combustionfiue d and above the flue, these holes being closed by removable covers g 9 so that access can be obtained through these filling-holes directly to the lime-chamber, while the lime within the chamber or the waste pro-V ducts thereof can be withdrawn through the ash-pit b Between the gas-generator O and the limechamber B below the grate-bars are suitable ports or openings, h, through which the gas can pass in its course from the gas-generator into the lime-chamber, and at or near the top of the lime-chamber is the gas-outlet h, leading through the walls of the generating apparatus to any suitable reservoir, to conduct away the purified gases. The steam-pipe f extends down within the walls of the generating apparatus, as shown in dotted lines atf to a point near the base of the lime-chamber B, opening therein at f, so providing a supply of superheated steam at the base of the lime-chamber, as well as in the upper part of the gas-generator. Air is supplied to the blast-pipe e by any suitable rotary or other blower, and the several pipes or fiues are controlled by valves or dampers, as is found necessary.

In order to generate a high heat within the steamboilers and obtain a full supply of steam, I form the air-portsp in the top wall of the combustion chamber or flue (1, these ports being closed by suitable valves or stop-plates, p, and so supply air to the smoke and gases driven off from the partial or slow combus tion within the gas-generators, the smoke and other gases burning within said chamber and passing through the flues of the boiler, and I thereby generate a greater heat in the boiler they escape.

A, and where it is desired, as in the manufacture of illuminating-gas, generate an exceed ingly high heat in the chamber d, which thereby becomes a superheater.

In the manufacture of illuminating-gas I form at the forward end of the superheater or combustion-chamberdanaphthaoroilinjector, r, supplied from a suitable pipe or tank, and within the dividing-wall between the generator O and lime-chamber B, I form the pipe or vapor-flue 3, extending from the said chamber d to the base of the lime-chamber, so that the oil or naphtha vapor generated within the superheating'flue or chamber d will pass down the flue s and rise therefrom through the limechamber. At the base of the Vapor-flue s is the tar-well t, to receive any tar or other distillates from the oil, and the chamber d has the steam-pipe a, for purposes hereinafter described. To obtain access to the boiler, in which a fire'box may be placed, a section of the surrounding furnace is generally omitted,

as at w.

In forming gas by my improved apparatus I fill the gas-generators O with coal or coke, and by means of an air-blast raise the same to a high heat and incandescence, the smoke or waste products of combustion passing from the gas-generators through the chambers or fluesd over the top of the lime-chambers B and uniting with the air entering through the ports p, generating a high heat within the chambers, and thence passing downwardly through the tubes or pipes at in the outer portions ofithe boiler into the heating-spaced, thence rising through the several series of pipes or flues, a to the chimney D, where The heat generated in the gen erators by the burning fuel acts to heat the lime chamber by conduction through the walls between the gasgenerator and the lime-chamber, and the heat generated within the combustion-chambers d by the more perfect combustion of the smoke and gases acts through the top wallofthe lime-chamber B and through the outer walls of the boiler A to further heat the lime-chamber, a large portion of the heat obtained from the burning of the coal within the gas-generator being thus utilized in heating the lime before it is permitted to escape, while the steam necessary for generating the water-gas is thus generated entirely by the waste products from the combustion formed within the generators, and, as a series of generators are employed around the boiler, the necessary heat and pressure of steam can be maintained even though several generators are cut off during the gas-making process. As soon as thecoal or coke is brought to the proper. state of incandescence, the damper d", the charging-hole c and the valve of the blast-pipe e are closed, and steam is admitted to the upper part of the gas generator 0 through the pipe f, the steam passing downwardly through the mass of incandescent fuel within the chamber and being decomposed by the heat thereof, forming free hydrogen gas, while the oxygen of the steam unites with the carbon of the fuel, forming carbonic oxide, a portion of oxygen also uniting with some carbonic oxide, forming carbonic acid, while at the same time the sulphur in the coal unites with the heated carbon, forming bisulphide of carbon and some hydrogen sulphide.

.The resultant gases then pass from the generator G into and upwardly through the bodyof lime within the chamber B, and as they rise through the same the lime will decompose the bisulphide of carbon, forming hydrogen sulphide, which is subsequently removed by pass ing the gas through a purifying-box containing oxide of iron, and the carbonic acid is converted into carbonic oxide by coming in contact with free carbon deposited in the upper part of the limechamber, which resultant gases pass through the outlet h to the reservoir or the purifying-box. In order to obtain a greater portion of hydrogen gas, as soon as the process is commenced I admit steam through the steam-inlctf within the limechamber, and this steam is decomposed, the

- oxygen thereof uniting with the carbonic ox ide rising through the lime-chamber, and forming carbonic acid, which in turn combines with free carbon deposited by the products of combustion in the upper part of the limechamber and forms carbonic oxide, which, with the free hydrogen gas, passes out from the limechamber through the pipe h, the carbonic oxide generated in the gas-generator thus assisting in generating a further portion of free hydrogen gas within the purifyingchamber. The process is continued until the incandescent coal loses the heat necessary to decompose thesteam, which can be determined by the color of the coal, when the steam-sup ply is cut oh, the damper d or charginghole c and valve in the air-blast pipe e opened, and by means of a blast the coal raised to the proper state of incandescence, when the process is repeated. It can be thus carried on so that a very large portion of gas can be obtained at a low cost, and the apparatus can therefore be employed to advantage in generating gas for fuel and other purposes, the gas obtained being almost entirely free hydrogen and having great heating properties. In order to increase the amount of gas obtained and prevent the chilling of the incandescent fuel, the steam is passed through the heated walls of the apparatus, and is therefore highly superheated before it enters the gasgenerator or the purifying-chamber, and consequently the chilling of the incandescent coal or lime is prevented, and the process can be continued for a greater period.

When it is desired to make illuminatinggas, the apparatus employed is substantially the same, the combustion-cham ber d being employed as a superheating-chamber to vapor; ize the naphtha or other oil employed to mix the gas, and the form of apparatus shown to the left of thedrawings being preferably employed. In such case the charging-hole c is closed, thereby cutting off communication between the gas-generator and the combustionchamber (1, the stop-valve 01 between the conibustion-ehamber and the boiler is closed, and the apparatus is employed in the same manner as required in the generation and production of water-gas. As soon, however, as the generation of this gas is commenced by the admission of steam from the gasgenerator,

the naphtha or other hydrocarbon is fed from the injector r to the combustion-chamber d, which is highly heated by the more perfect combustion of the smolge and gases therein, and so acts to vaporize and form a fixed gas from the naphtha, the vapor or gas passing down the flue s, which is heated by radiation from the gas'generator and assists in setting the gas, and this gas passing through thelimechamber B, being intermingled with the other gases formed in the generator and in the lime-chamber B, the naphtha or oil gas being purified in its course through the lime-chamber, and becoming so thoroughly intermingled with the hydrogen gas passing from the limechamber as to form a fixed illuminating'gas of fine quality. The proportion of naphtha or oil gas so formed and mixed with the hydrogen gas can be regulated according to the desired illuminating-power of the resultant gas. At the termination of the gas'making process the valve d is opened and steam is admitted.

through the pipe u, the steam driving any gas remaining within the chamber d through the boilertlues to the stack, and the charginghole 0 is opened and air-blast turned on, as above described, and the coal raised thereby to incandescence, when the process is repeated.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a gas apparatus, the combination of a central steam-boiler, a series of generatorchambers and lime-chambers arranged around the same, and suitable .flues connecting. the generators,lime chambers,and boiler, whereby the heating of the boiler is continued by the products of combustion from one or more sets of generators while the gas is being generated in another set of generators and lime-chambers, substantially as described.

2. In a gas apparatus, the combination of a central steamboiler, a series of lime-chambers arranged around the same, a series of generator-chambers arranged around the lime-chambers, and flues connecting said generators to the boiler and to the lime-chambers, substantially as described.

3. In'a gas apparatus, the combination of a steam-boiler, A, generator-chamber C, liinechamber B between said boiler and generator, and a flue or flues connecting said generator and limechamber, with a combustionchamber, (1, over said purifying-chamber, and communicating at one end to the generator and at the other to the boiler, substantially as described. I

a. In a gas apparatus, the combination of a central steam-boiler, aserics of lime-chambers ISO around said boiler, aseries of generator-chambers surrounding said lime chambers, and fines connecting said chambers, with a combustion-chamber above the purifying-chambers, and communicating with the boiler at one end and the generator-chamber at the other, and having an air-inlet therein, substantially as described.

5. Ina gas apparatus, the combination of a gas-generator, a lime-chamberadj acentthereto, a chamber, d, over said lime-,chamber, having an oil-injector leading therein, and a gas-flue,

s, in the division-wall between the generator and the lime-chamber for connecting said chamber d. to the lime-chamber, substantially as described.

6. In combination with gas-generator apparatus, a steam-boiler, A, having the outer JAMES M. ROSE.

Witnesses:

JAMES I. KAY, J. N. OooKE. 

